DAY 5 OF INDIA BRIDAL WEEK GIVES ME FEVER

One of the first designers I ever walked for were Shane and Falguni for a bridal show @ JW Marriott and since then I've walked for them some 4 or 5 times. The last time was in Monaco for their fashion show on Vijay Malaya's yacht with three other models. It was seriously fun and one of the best experiences I've had! From what I remember the garments are lace based this season and very ostentatious and grand! The clock is ticking and my fever is elevating! I'm told by the backstage team On Cue who by the way are thorough professionals, hard working and damn good @ what they do that Shane and Falguni have a tendency to be on the late side and so they were actually called in @ 10 a.m. and  the models at 11:30 a.m. in the hope that they will arrive around 11:30-12. However it is now 1 p.m. and the lunch has appeared but no clothes nor designers. The senior models tell stories of how long they've had to wait in the past for the Peacocks. One show they waited 5 hours!! People are taking estimates at what time we'll be starting! I pop a D-cold and eat hot food and an hour later @ 2p.m. we begin Shane and Falguni Peacock fittings. I would have killed for that extra sleep time at home and with my fever raging I am just trying to hold it altogether!

 

We are allocated the clothes and this show there are two changes and the outfits are very heavy. There are a lot of sari's and I get one of them. I'm not the best in handling heavy sari's with mega high stilettos and stairs onstage but that's my job after all and the more I wear them, the better I'll get @ them I guess! Outfits distributed, tagged, photographed, jewelry assigned and all returned back! Marc Robinson then sends us to the tent for rehearsals. I'm so cold, I can't explain how cold I am even though I have layers on and tights too! Alecia Raut (an absolute sweetheart and someone who has helped me so very much throughout every show I've done with her) hands me her shawl and tells me to wrap it around my neck for warmth. I am grateful and after feeling guilty that I'm depriving her of warmth she re-assures me that I am not and I place my guilt away and except that gracious gesture! I never told Alecia this but once we were doing a show in Hyderabad together and out of nowhere she must have noticed that I was uncomfortable with my poses and she took me aside and instinctively taught me how to pose for the camera on head ramp. I was having the worst day that day with someone literally stealing money from my pay envelope and so many other issues and I was new and I had no idea how to attack the problem and her little gesture gave me so much strength and hope! I went home that night and prayed for Alecia Raut and blessed her with all I had to give in my prayers!

 

So back to present day and I'm reassured that life really is good and kind, especially when you choose to see the goodness and kindness around you. Off to the tent for rehearsals with hair and make-up. It's a straight show and easy to walk too, thank goodness cause the clothes are mega-mega heavy and awkward to walk the ramp in but Marc knows this and so he chooses a simple choreography. The hair and make-up for today's show is the black swan look with dramatic charcoal and gold eyes, slick buns with back combed hair!

 

It is now day 5 of Bridal Week and my skin and hair as always has gone hay wire! The amount of back combing, gel, hair spray, layers of make-up, false eye lashes being glued in and ripped out every show... it is exhausting for your skin-body-hair. I've broken out in pimples from all the make-up as I rarely wear make-up on a daily basis: just kajal. Also the fact that 18 girls are all using the same brushes, lipsticks, powder puffs etc... doesn't help the cause! The make-up team are very clean and sanitized but certain things cannot be avoided and hence bacteria spreads. Post-fashion weeks I always go for a protein hair treatment, massage and put vitamin E capsules under my eyes. I also put dahi on my face which I've learned from my house mate Priyanka. She loves to create home facial recipes.

 

Because we only have one show tonight and pool B has two shows, we have a lot of time to spare! I go back to The Hyatt lobby, full made up and with three hours to spare to chill out as the tent is chaotic. I close my burning eyes for a moment, having found a less then awkward pose to rest in with my gigantic hair only to be told by The Hyatt security that I'm not aloud to rest in the lobby. I look around. There is not a soul in sight! I'm in the furthest corner where the only reason anyone would approach was if there was a conference on and there isn't! It is very upsetting but they say I can remain there if my eyes are open... so I open them! I see Vikram Phadnis and his entourage walk past, high fiving me as they go by! Vikram asks why am I here don't I have a show next! I reassure him mine is in three hours and little does he know I'm a stickler for timing and have never been late or called out on my timing ever!

 

It's almost show time! I'm in the tent in the changing room for pool A, sitting and waiting with my helper Charis from Sophia Polytechnic in Breach Candy. She's originally from Goa and wants to be a designer. She was also my helper in Bridal Week at The Sahara last year. Each model gets their own helpers for the week and let me just tell you, these helpers are AMAZING! They come armed with knowledge, sewing kits, on the ball and enthusiastic! Charis is a dream! I don't even need to open my mouth, she undresses me, dresses me, has my clothes hung and ready for me. She packs me bag, minds my phone, brings me food and water, medicines etc... and I don't ask for a thing! I'm not used to asking as we don't get helpers in the West and I'm not comfortable asking for things! I'm really hungry and sick and there are no snacks around. The helpers are given snack boxes from Candy's for their meals. Charis keeps insisting I eat her lunch box! I absolutely refuse and pretend I'm not hungry. The poor girl is so damn sweet... she refuses to touch her food even though I'm sure she's hungry! So in both our kindness and stubborn gestures no one ends up eating the Candy's lunch box! I'm really, really shocked and surprised that so many of the models that come in, including the model next to me, eat the helpers lunch boxes everyday... leaving them hungry all night!! I tell the model next to me to please ask our backstage crew for food as this is the food for the helpers, she says "it is ok yaar, they'll get more! There are food boxes around! Just eat theirs!!" She eats her helpers box! I feel really sad for her helper and I tell the young girl to go and get another box.

 

The show begins and the ramp feels longer than usual because I'm wearing a tight, heavy sari. I'm walking slowly and my fever doesn't help. I'm just not feeling it today! I pass one corner of the ramp and I hear big cheers! I must have friends in the audience! As I come out for my second change, I realize and see that on one side of the ramp I have the Dandekar sister (Shibani, Anusha and Apeksha) Keith Sequira and my ex Happy who is now dating Sara Jane and on the other side there are my friends from Hyderabad, Anuj Rai, Vishnu the CEO of Celebrity Cricket League and Sohail Khan. It's great to walk in front of friends! The show was lovely and elaborate and felt very much like a show should feel... full of drama and showmanship! Shane and Falguni are great creators and the West too loves them! So much so that they now live in New York and create for stars like Lady Gaga!

 

Post the show the Dandekars come backstage to grab me for dinner! Happy tells me I walked too slow and asked if I saw him wave to me (I didn't) and Shibani has my back as always and tells him off in the comical banter I'm used too saying "you can barely walk properly in your jeans ad sneakers? Do you realize how heavy her outfit was? Imagine walking in that!" He shuts up! LOL. I meet up with Anuj, Vishnu AND Sohail Khan for a brief chat but then head to dinner @ the Hyatt with the Dandekar's and Keith as I'm starvinggg by now and so very sick. I see Marc and his gorgeous wife on the table next to us and he invites everyone to the after-party for the finale tomorrow!

 

The end of yet another day... doing what I Love and with the most amazing supportive friends around me... I'm so ready for bed! I don't know how I'm going to wake up tomorrow! Don't forget to follow me on twitter @KarishmaNaina